Since August 2013 the Asisi Panometer has been showing the new ''Leipzig 1813 – In the turmoil of the Battle of the Nations'' 360° panorama created by artist Yadegar Asisi, who grew up in Leipzig. The circular painting, which is over 3500m², displays a reconstruction of the architecture of Leipzig and the upheavals resulting from the Battle of the Nations in the year 1813.
Leipzig in 1813 – a city in tumult
On the occasion of its bicentenary, panorama artist Yadegar Asisi explored the subject of the Battle of the Nations in great depth. However, the focus of his new circular painting, with its view of the old town from the partly destroyed roof of the Church of St Thomas, is not the battle itself but the impact it had on Leipzig.
The panorama shows a city in tumult. Against a background of burning houses and villages on the horizon in flames, the flight of the French soldiers and the triumphant entry of the victorious powers reflect the aftermath of the Battle of the Nations. The impressive montage gives visitors the impression that they are experiencing the actual events as they happened, with the transition between day and night created by ultraviolet paints and lighting equipment and sound effects adding to the realism.
The accompanying programme
The circular painting does not take up the complete diameter of the Panometer. The remaining area of the room is used for an accompanying exhibition on the theme, and focuses on the flourishing trading city of Leipzig on the eve of the Battle of the Nations. One of the exhibits, for example, is an original knee lever printing press from the first half of the nineteenth century. In addition, the work that went into the production of the panorama is documented in a 'making-of' film. The programme for the individual months also features themed evenings and special guided tours.
The Panometer: facts and figures
As the first of its kind, the Panometer in Leipzig was opened by artist Yadegar Asisi in the year 2003. Since the opening more than 2 million people have visited the various themed worlds presented in the converted Gasometer II in Connewitz. Further panometers have since been opened in Dresden (2006) and Berlin (2011).
For the Battle of the Nations panorama thirty-seven 3 m wide and 32 m long panoramic strips of images were printed and joined together. To create an optimum bird's eye, view the height of the visitor tower was raised to 15 metres. The work on the Leipzig panorama took a total of five years, during which tens of thousands of photos were taken and around 400 extras were photographed. After elaborate processing, the final image file was around 13 GB.
Further Informations
www.asisi.de (english)